About the ACL
Discover the history, mission, and vision that make the Association of Costs Lawyers the leading professional community for Costs Lawyers in the UK.
Leading with Excellence in Legal Costs
Our Commitment to the Costs Lawyer Profession
As the representative body of Costs Lawyers, the Association of Costs Lawyers acts to support its members and to develop legal costs through education and support of the Costs Lawyer profession
The organisation was formed as the Association of Law Costs Draftsmen in 1977 with the object of promoting the status and interests of the profession of law costs draftsmen generally, and ensuring the maintenance of the highest professional standards. The name of the association was changed in 2011 following the recognition of Costs Lawyers in the Legal Services Act 2007.
The association promotes and fosters an appreciation of the contribution made by Costs Lawyers within the legal profession. Further aims include the exchange of ideas and information with other legal bodies and the contribution to the development of the legal system. The ACL is recognised as an important contributor to law reform relating to costs law and procedures.
We ensure the high standards of Costs Lawyers through our independent regulator, the Costs Lawyer Standards Board (CLSB).
The ACL is the only professional body providing recognised training and education in costs law. The Costs Lawyer Professional Qualification (CLPQ) provides a structured training course covering all aspects of costs law and practice.
What Costs Lawyers do?
- Draft Bills and Schedules of Costs
- Draft Points of Dispute and Replies to claims for costs
- Assist in the preparation of costs budgets and advise on costs budgets presented by an opposing party
- Advise on retainers and fee arrangements between clients and their legal advisors
- Advise on and prepare claims for costs from public funds (Legal Aid)
- Advise on disputes between solicitors and their clients
- Act as costs mediators or arbitrators in costs disputes
Costs Lawyers are regulated by the Costs Lawyer Standards Board under the Legal Services Act and are authorised to carry on the following reserved legal activities:
- The exercise of a right of audience
- The conduct of litigation
- The administration of oaths
Provided that they are instructed to deal only with matters that relate to costs, they may conduct proceedings and represent clients in any court or tribunal, including any criminal court or courts martial, the Supreme Court or the Privy Council where:
- the proceedings are at first instance; or
- the proceedings include an appeal below the level of the Court of Appeal or Upper Tribunal, are on a first appeal (other than in the Court of Appeal) and the appeal itself relates to costs; or
- the proceedings do not fall within either of the categories above, but your instructions are limited to dealing with the costs of the proceedings; or
- the court or tribunal grants permission for you to conduct proceedings or to represent a client (or both)
Where proceedings relate to other matters, in addition to costs, the rights referred to above apply only to those parts of the proceedings (if any) that:
- relate solely to costs; or
- when they relate to other issues, solely those issues that are not in dispute.
The main areas in which Costs Lawyers may become involved are:
Costs payable between parties
At the conclusion of the claim, the unsuccessful litigant is usually ordered to pay the successful litigant’s costs and, if those costs cannot be agreed, a detailed bill of costs is prepared and served.
The paying party may serve a schedule of points of those items in the bill he wishes to dispute before the bill is lodged at court, to which the receiving party may reply.
If the Bill of Costs is for less than £75,000.00, a paper assessment is carried out by the Court (which either party may seek to review at an oral hearing if they do not accept the result).
For costs claims over £75,000.00 the disputes are argued before the Court at an oral hearing.
A Costs Lawyer can be involved in all the necessary procedural steps for either party.
Solicitor and client costs
These are costs payable by a client to their own solicitor.
Different rules apply to the costs where court proceedings have been commenced, known as contentious business, to those applicable to non-contentious matters such as conveyancing, probate and general advice.
A client who is unhappy with his solicitor’s bill has remedies available if he wishes to challenge it. If the bill relates to contentious business, either the client or the solicitor may apply to the court for the bill to be assessed.
A Costs Lawyer may be instructed to prepare a detailed breakdown for the assessment in support of the invoice rendered by the solicitor to his client, to advise on law and procedure and to argue in support of or against the bill.
Legal aid costs
Where a solicitor is representing a legally aided client, a detailed bill is usually required to be assessed either by the court or the Legal Aid Agency before payment can be made out of the legal aid fund to the solicitor.
Whilst such bills are usually assessed without any formal hearing, if an amount has been disallowed by the court and the solicitor wishes to object, an appointment can be obtained and the matter argued at a hearing. Where an amount is disallowed by the Legal Aid Agency, written submissions can be made.
Preparation of High Costs Case Plans in cases where the costs will exceed £25,000, some public family law cases where authority for use of leading counsel is granted, or other special cases including multi-party actions and Supreme Court cases.
When a legally aided client (who has a financial interest in their costs) disputes the level of costs being claimed by their solicitor, and those costs are being assessed by the court, an oral hearing for assessment is made for the client’s dispute to be heard.
In criminal cases, the objections to an amount disallowed are usually made, at first instance, in writing and are usually considered on paper appeal, often, a Costs Lawyer will be instructed to prepare the written submissions. The decision will provide details of the further appeal process, which usually involves an oral hearing at the Legal Aid Agency/National Taxing Team offices, at which a Costs Lawyer will be further instructed to attend.
The Council of the Association of Costs Lawyers comprises a number of elected members, who serve on Council for up to three years
The Council has responsibility for deciding on the strategy for the Association, agreeing business plans and budgets with the Executive, and ensuring that those plans are delivered.
The Code of Conduct for Council members
Jack Ridgway
Chair
Jack is a Costs Lawyer and qualified in 2017. A member of the profession since 2011 Jack has worked externally and in-house, currently at Bolt Burdon Kemp. Jack has gained experience as the receiving or paying party in a wide variety of matters, such as abuse, clinical negligence, commercial litigation, court of protection, design rights, personal injury, and probate. Jack regularly undertakes advocacy in the Royal Courts of Justice, with a particular focus on costs budgeting and applications during the substantive proceedings.
Stephen Averill
Vice-Chair
Stephen has worked in costs for 36 years and first qualified as an Associate of the ALCD in 1996. He then became a Costs Lawyer in 2011.
Stephen set up Phoenix Legal Services in 2003. Stephen’s experience is wide ranging, from low value RTA matters all the way up to complex GLO cases. Stephen has overseen the transformation of the business over the past two years to support remote working and increasingly varied caseloads.
This is Stephen’s 2nd stint on Council and he is part of the Finance Committee.
David Bailey-Vella
Vice-Chair
David is a Costs Lawyer at Shakespeare Martineau. Having gained experience working in-house and for costs consultancies, he qualified as a Costs Lawyer in 2017.
David specialises in media litigation and has extensive experience in clinical negligence, personal injury, and high value commercial claims.
Outside of costs, David enjoys spending time with his young family, and is also a triathlete, regularly racing in multi-distance triathlons.
Victoria Morrison-Hughes
Council Member
Victoria is a Costs Lawyer and qualified in 2017. A member of the profession since 1997 Victoria has worked in-house and externally, currently at Integral Legal Costs. Victoria has experience as the receiving or paying party in a wide variety of matters, such as commercial litigation, clinical negligence, personal injury, disputed probate and solicitor client matters.
Victoria regularly undertakes advocacy, in-house bespoke training to her clients. Victoria’s expertise is often called upon as part of the legal strategy team particularly on complex commercial litigation matters.
Kristopher Kilsby
Council Member
Kris is a Costs Lawyer who qualified in 2018. Kris has been in the costs profession since 2014 and has had conduct in a wide variety of matters including personal injury, clinical negligence, civil litigation and Court of Protection. Kris has predominantly worked for the receiving party but has experience of assisting paying parties as well.
Nathan Cameron
Council Member
Nathan is a Costs Lawyer qualifying in 2017, having worked in legal costs for the past 12 years. Nathan has worked in-house at Irwin Mitchell LLP since August 2013. Nathan has experience in dealing with a wide variety of legal costs matters including personal injury, commercial litigation, clinical negligence, industrial disease, large scale group litigation and solicitor client matters. Nathan undertakes advocacy on behalf of the receiving party.
Nathan leads a team of other costs professionals based in Birmingham and is involved in the day-to-day running of a complex case load through to recruitment succession planning and professional development training. He also actively delivers training to clients on all aspects of costs during litigation.
Julian Caddick
Council Member
Julian is a Partner at trade union law firm Thompsons Solicitors where he has been Head of Costs since 2005. In 2004 he won the ACL Cup and became one of the very first Costs Lawyers in 2007. He was also a member of the Jackson ACL working group on modernising bills of costs back in 2011.
He currently leads on costs policy and funding issues at Thompsons and oversees the management of two in-house costs teams based in London and Manchester. His department specialises in claimant costs recovery and costs management in high value personal injury and clinical negligence cases, but also in trade union law, group litigation and employment matters, including costs arising in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
Amy Dunkley
Council Member
Amy qualified as a Costs Lawyer in January 2022, and has worked in-house at Bolt Burdon Kemp since May 2019. Amy primarily advises on a variety of personal injury and clinical negligence matters, and regularly undertakes advocacy at the Royal Courts of Justice.
tbc
Council Member
Council Member nominations due in November/December 2024
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